We Will Reboot the Suit!

I am very pleased to give y’all a quick update on the fundraising campaign to conserve Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 EVA spacesuit: We are fully funded! In fact, we hit the $500,000 goal in just five days, thanks to thousands of people who generously supported the Kickstarter project.

Wow. Thank you all so much! Know that you have helped contribute to preserving a historic icon and will also help millions of people learn about one of the most important moments in human history: when we first stepped on the surface of an alien world.

But we’re not done. The next goal is to reach $700,000 so that the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum can perform the same good work on another space artifact: Alan Shepard’s flight suit that he wore when he became the first American in space in 1961.

Like Armstrong’s Apollo suit, Shepard’s Mercury suit will be photographed in high resolution to make (printable!) 3-D maps and to conserve as much about it as possible. It will also be displayed along with many other spacesuits at the museum.

We’re already halfway to the new stretch goal with just two weeks left in the Kickstarter campaign. And whether you pledge or not, please help us spread the word on social media using the #RebootTheSuit hashtag.

Again, thank you. This has been amazing so far, and we’re just getting started.